Regulatory
Core Policy
Manage the harbour in an open and accountable manner.
Governance Policy
Cowes Harbour Commission (CHC), constituted under the Cowes Harbour Act and Orders 1897-2012, is the statutory
harbour authority for Cowes Harbour and the River Medina, on the Isle of Wight. Cowes Harbour is a Trust Port, designated
and recognised by the Department for Transport. As such, it is an independent statutory body, run by an independent board
for the benefit of stakeholders. CHC is committed to operating within government guidelines set by the Department of
Transport and published in “Modernising Trust Ports (Second Edition 2009)”: cowesharbourcommission.co.uk/governance
The business objectives of the Commission are set out in a strategy document, currently the ‘Strategic Plan 2016-2021’.
Progress towards these objectives is reported monthly to Commissioners, quarterly to the Harbour Advisory Committee, and
annually at a Public Meeting and in an Annual Report.
Board of Commissioners
The Cowes Harbour Commission Board consists of nine independent non-executive Commissioners and the Harbour Master/
Chief Executive: cowesharbourcommission.co.uk/board_of_commissioners
The Commissioners are appointed on merit on an open recruitment basis to provide the Commission with the professional
skills and experience to determine the policy and business decisions of the organisation. The Commissioners are appointed
for a term of three years and can usually serve two terms. A maximum of two additional Commissioners can be co-opted at
any one time for specific purposes and serve for a period of 12 months.
The Chief Executive and the Commissioners carry out a periodic review of the professional skills and experience requirements
necessary to meet the changing demands of the Commission. This agreed list of skills and experience requirements is then
compared against the existing balance of skills, experience and portfolio responsibilities of the current Board before agreeing
any re-appointment of a Commissioner or before advertising for a new appointment. Each Commissioner appointment is
made after a competitive selection process. The Commissioner selection panel of three is led by the Chairman of CHC but
has a stakeholder and independent member, thereby ensuring that the balance of the selection panel is independent of the
Commission. The Commissioners’ positions are voluntary and they do not receive remuneration.
Commissioner attendance rates averaged 90% at the 10 full Board meetings in 2016. Full details of attendance are listed in
the ‘Cowes Harbour Commission Report of the Commissioners and Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December
2016’, available to view at: cowesharbourcommission.co.uk/financial_a